Read This If Work Makes You Happy
"So, Chris, what happens when work goes away?"
I was talking to a mentor, sharing how I derived most of my happiness from my work.
I was sharing the intense responsibility I felt for helping people and the immense sense of purpose I got from executing at a high level.
Then he asked this tough question and he was right.
It's like finance. I diversify my investments so that if any individual one of them incurs a loss, I don't lose everything. This helps my odds of having a successful outcome.
But why wasn't I doing this for my sources of happiness?
It was time to get intentional about being happy.
Realizing that made it clear that I had never made happiness a priority.
And that's really the punchline, here.
2 Minute Action
Write a quick list of the things you do right now that make you happy.
Is it more than 1? More than 3?
It's up to you to decide how many sources of happiness you might need. I feel like at least 3 are necessary.
If you only have 1 right now, that's okay. It's time to look inside yourself and ask "what makes me come alive?"
And then go for it.
Hustle Is Important But Not That Important
Are you familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?
Quick summary:
Abraham Maslow was a Psychologist who was able to illustrate a simple order of human needs that could play a huge role in motivation, emotions, and decision making behavior.Basically, you need your basics met first. Like food and shelter.Then you need your social and emotional needs met, like family and friends.Only after that can you go after other things like advancing your career or becoming your best self.We fluctuate up and down these rings of the Pyramid of the Hierarchy of Needs throughout our lives so don’t be fooled into thinking once you’re up, you’re up for good.
Here’s how this relates to hustle, motivation, and your career:
It’s the same with your work ethic, your attitude and your intentions.To be “successful” in your own eyes, you need to work hard. That has to be the first part of the equation.But after that, you need to get adequate rest and recovery.After that you can go after gains in performance and career.After that, you can say “no” to opportunities and narrow your priorities.
Quick pause to focus on the punchline:
I’m sure this all makes sense but I want to be really clear about the process and the order in which all of this can happen.There is a TON of advice out there saying things like “you should say ‘yes’ to every opportunity!”There an equal amount of opinion saying you should “say ‘no’ to more opportunities!”
Not only do you need to figure out what works for you but you need to figure out what works for you right now.
Remember that a lot of advice is “here are the 8 numbers I used to win the lottery” and won’t apply to you, your industry, your decade, your team, or your circumstance.That doesn’t mean don’t try.It means try more.
2 Minute Action
Where are you in the hierarchy of needs?Do you have your basics met?If not, it might be time to reset your goals to focus only on basic needs.If so, it might be time to get out of your comfort zone and push yourself.Identify this today.Your next moves will be clear, guilt-free, and easier to execute after you do.
2 Mindsets That Make (Or Break) People
There are basically two fundamental mindsets you can have.
Developmental Mindset
Someone with a developmental mindset believes that hard work builds skills and that skills are the fundamental tools for success. Sure we each have talents and are predisposed to natural advantages, but hard work and deliberation are powerful multipliers that propel people to constantly outperform themselves.People with this world view spend their time ensuring that they are the dumbest person in the room and that they are constantly redefining themselves as slightly improved versions each day.
Fixed Mindset
Someome with a fixed mindset believes that they were born with a innate traits that equip them for success. Sure we can each work hard to achieve things, but being a genius or a prodigy far outperform any efforts one could endure to reach success.People with this world view spend their time ensuring that they are the smartest person in the room and that they are constantly asserting their pre-existing brilliance to anyone who will listen.
2 Minute Action
Which are you?Commit to making a 1% improvement today and choose something small, or ask someone for feedback, today.It only has to take 2 minutes.Remember, you get to choose which of these mindsets you believe.